Thursday, 2 June 2016

What this site is about is a whole host of extra
resources which I have put together to help you think more, chat more and
hopefully understand more about some of the topics I’ve raised in the book. You’ll
find a whole host of things here - articles, videos, book recommendations -
some serious, some more light hearted but all expanding the topics raised in
the individual chapters of the book.

The material is organised by chapter, so once
you’ve read each one, you
can look at what extra things there are that might interest you, open up themes
in more depth or answer questions you might have in your mind.

Of course, you can use these resources just for
yourself, or they might be something you can chat about with others who have
read the book. But I hope that these additional things will help you should you
be looking to work through the book as part of a small group. Here you’ll find funny videos you can use to kick
off a session, more in depth material should you want to take a topic deeper,
and illustrations or ideas you can use with the whole group.

Bear in mind that this site isn’t static - I’ll be adding things as I come across them. Its also a useful space
where I can let you know about events and conferences which might interest you
- things I am speaking at or events from some of the organisations I work with.
I’ll also post links to
articles and things I have written elsewhere on the web. If you want to be
notified when there is something new to read here, sign up to receive the
newsletter.

We all know issues with stress are common - but
just how common are they? Here are some stats to give you a clearer idea:

1 in 3 adults feel stressed every day

1 in 5 adults often feel stressed at work

14% adults say stress at work is making them ill

half of all adults say stress keeps them awake at night

30% adults say their stress levels have increased in the last year

131 million work days were lost in 2011 due to stress

Although we talk about it as though it is an emotional thing, we all
know that stress has a physical effect on us. Here’s a great video which takes
advantage of this for an ad campaign in Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhkS4Ez4nu8

Think you know about stress? Here’s a quick true false analysis of commonly held perceptions about stress, along with
some extra links for more to read about the way stress affects us all:

TRUE AND FALSE! - Lower levels of stress improve our concentration and
performance. However once our stress levels get too high it all starts to
deteriorate. Check out www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-myth-stress/201007/isnt-stress-motivator - here Andrew
Bernstein (author of ‘The myth of stress’) explains that what is actually
motivating us when we are stressed might be other elements of the situation,
not the stress itself.

With the right attitude and training you need never feel stressed again

A glass of wine is a great way to relax and wind down after a stressful
day

TRUE AND FALSE! Alcohol helps us to relax in the short term, but (as
shown in this 2008 study) regular alcohol use can actually RAISE the level of
some stress hormones, as well as interfering with sleep patterns and making you
more tired. Not only that but it can have an unfortunate effect on your
emotions, magnifying negative emotions and making you feel MORE low, rather
than less. Not one to rely on as an everyday solution!

People react to stress in different ways

TRUE - No two people are the same and what stresses one person out may
barely affect another person. This is not a sign of weakness however - if you
find yourself getting stressed more than other people you know do not despair.
Understanding the way you think and respond to the world can help you learn how
to filter stress better so it affects you less.

TRUE - some stresses (particularly the emotional ones) are obvious.
However sometimes things can be very biologically stressful without you
realising it because they place a big demand on your brain and/or body. We need
to be aware of what we are asking of ourselves and make sure that we build in
real down time to balance things out. Some of the personality types that appear
to manage stress the best can be experiencing long term effects without
realising it - check out examples on the press - Duncan Bannatyne and Andrew Marr. Another person’s experience of stress means that he
refers to it as a ‘silent killer’ - read about it here.

Feeling stressed out? One thing we know about stress is that it makes
things a lot harder - more and more as you reach your personal crisis point.
The game show ‘The Cube’ relies on this fact - asking people to perform tasks
or challenges that otherwise might be relatively easy, but making them much
more challenging by deliberately engineering the situation to put them under as
much stress as possible. Check out this example to see how it
works - notice how Phillip Schofield (the presenter) ranks up the stress with
the things he says as the contestant is getting ready!

Ever been hit by unexpected stress? For a great example of an unexpected
stress wave (and one of my all time favourite video clips!) check out this
vintage clip (featuring a very young Terry Wogan!) and what happens to this news reader just as he is
about to go live to camera …

Think that your perspective doesn’t influence your understanding and
experience of stress? Watch this series of
adverts (from American mortgage company Ameriquest)and think again!

Ever experienced emotional hijack? Here’s a classic example of someone who has … for more about
emotional hijack read this from Psychology today website..

Want to find out more about your own personality and how that might
affect your experience of stress? These aren’t the real tests of personality
psychologists would use - but to get a quick idea of how you might see and
interact with the world try these: …

Passion can be stressful - but it is also powerful - something we look
for in others that influences how likely we are to be convinced by their
argument. Check out this clever study looking at how one small change in how someone
gave a speech changed the way they were able to influence an audience.

Passion and frustration can be tools which God uses to help us meet our
potential. For more about what God has to say about our potential check out this blog I wrote on the subject.

So is guilt always a bad thing? Are you feeling
guilty about a heap of things you haven’t got round to doing yet today? Here’s a more positive perspective on guilt, based on the function it was
originally designed to have, from the Guardian’s ‘change your life’column - ‘How to make the most of your guilt’- learn how planning
a guilt hour might make you a whole lot more productive.